Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (retd), has urged the military leadership, headed by Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Christopher Musa, to swiftly put an end to banditry and killings.
The octogenarian former army chief issued this call on Tuesday in Abuja at the launch of a book titled,’Big Boots: Lessons From My Military Service,written by Major General Solomon Udounwa (retd). Speaking to both current and retired military leaders, including the present defense chief in attendance, General TY Danjuma (retd) emphasized that it is the responsibility of serving officers to eradicate the scourge of banditry and the senseless killings perpetrated by marauders across the nation.
“We must end the banditry and the killings that are going on in our country as soon as possible.
The responsibilities are on your shoulders; those of you who are still servicing. No excuses, absolutely no excuses. God bless you. God bless our country.” The former Chief of Army Staff stated.
In reply, the defense chief assured that the Armed Forces would not be discouraged by the challenges they face in combating banditry and terrorism. He pledged to General TY Danjuma that the military would not falter but would instead bring the ruthless bandits to their knees.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria is willing, dedicated and committed to ensuring that we restore peace and security in our own dear country.
We shall not be deterred. I want to assure you that we have learnt so much from your records. We cannot afford to fail and we will not fail,” Gen Musa told TY Danjuma.
Nigeria’s North-West and North Central geopolitical zones have become notorious for the activities of ruthless marauders commonly referred to as bandits. A recent report from the security intelligence gathering firm SBM Intelligence revealed that Nigerians paid a staggering ₦1.04 billion in ransom to kidnappers over the past year. The firm’s research indicated that during this timeframe, at least 7,568 individuals were abducted in 1,130 separate incidents throughout the country.
The firm reported that, on average, a person is killed during each attempted kidnapping.
